Sweet on Sunday: Pecan Shortbread Cookies

The art of baking. As a child, I didn't pick it up. My mother cooked extensively and deliciously every evening, which was instilled in her with a chef father. Only baking, that was something mom had nothing to do with. I can clearly remember treating my classmates on my birthday when I turned about eight and we bought ready-made batter mix for cupcakes. You had to add water to the powdery substance, pour the mixture into muffin cups, and bake. Even this creativity-less bake was magical to me. I sat on a crate in front of the oven and looked through the little window at the cups that seemed to be getting fuller and rounder. When they were allowed out and the whole kitchen smelled of muffins, I was sold. This was the best ever. It just took a long time before I would bake again, aside from once making brownies with a babysitter (another magical experience).

The older I get, the more often I bake, and in recent months I make something almost every week. And yes, even before corona started. I enjoy flipping through books in search of the right recipe. Mixing and blending. Music on. It calms me down (unless something goes wrong, then I curse myself and the kitchen). I try many recipes from books, blogs, and courses and take you along. In the recipes, I add a bit of Tess so you don't run into the same problems I did. This week I choose a recipe that is not too complicated and that I have often surprised many eaters with. It comes from Sarah Crawford in New York, known on Instagram as @bromabakery. A scroll through her feed and you want to make everything at once., but we start with the pecan shortbread cookies. What do we need?

Cookie base

• 170 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 100 g sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract (invest in the expensive one, okay!)
• 255 g flour
• ¼ tsp salt

Pecan topping

• 110 g maple syrup, at room temperature
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp maple extract, this is a bit harder to find in the Netherlands, and I personally use a teaspoon of rum, but you can also double the amount of vanilla extract as a substitute
• ½ tsp salt, a little more can also be nice
• 15 g unsalted butter, melted
• 15 g flour
• 250 g pecans (halved, but that's probably how you know them too)

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 175 degrees, lightly grease a deep baking tray of 23 cm by 23 cm with butter and then line it with baking paper. A springform can also be used, but keep in mind that the volume should be about the same.

2. Make the cookie base by mixing the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until it becomes ‘fluffy’. Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined (not longer, or it will become tough). It will be a bit crumbly.

3. Press the mixture into your baking tray and ensure it forms a reasonably even base. Set aside.

4. Make the topping by stirring the melted butter and flour in a large bowl until a thick paste forms. Add the maple syrup, egg, vanilla extract, maple extract (or your substitute), and salt and stir until everything is well combined. Finally, add the pecans.

5. Pour the mixture over your cookie base, spreading it out if necessary with the rounded side of a spoon.

6. Bake for about 40 minutes in the preheated oven and let cool completely before cutting the cookie into pieces. Bake the cookie a little shorter for the American ‘doughy’ effect that melts in your mouth and a little longer for a more Dutch sandy cookie effect with more crunch. Know your oven.